By Derek Burgan Gowalla, a location based social network service that is skyrocketing in popularity, recently teamed up with Disney to offer Walt Disney World visitors an opportunity to instantly share, and virtually collect, their theme park experience. Gowalla allows users to “check in” to locations they visit by using their mobile phone. These check-ins [...]

Article, photos and video by Don Gworek Plans are in progress for a 220 mph high speed rail in Florida. The first segment from Orlando to Tampa is expected to be completed in 2014, with Miami to Orlando to follow. With proposed stops at the Orlando airport, the Orange County Convention Center and Walt Disney [...]

Column by Andy Guinigundo At Disneyland Paris, they are getting ready to wrap up 31 days of the 2010 Halloween Festival where guests are invited to immerse themselves in the “Halloweenmosphere”. Although Paris offers many events for all ages as Disney does in the U.S., Disneyland Paris is so scary when it presents a Terroriffic [...]

I’ve been to all of the Universal Studios theme parks (Orlando, Osaka, Singapore and Hollywood) and it’s interesting to see the similarities and differences between them.

The producers of The Amazing Race are teaming up with Ford to create a new web series called Focus Rally: America. They’ll be in Orlando looking for contestants to enter the cross-country road rally. Six teams of two digitally savvy people will relying on friends, fans and Internet followers to help them complete varying challenges [...]

Article by Susan and Simon Veness “3-2-1-OPEN!” And, with that short countdown, Orlando’s newest “attraction” was declared open to the public. And a pretty amazing prospect it is, too. Because the new, state-of-the-art $380 million Amway Center is not just a sporting and entertainment venue, it is a sparkling beacon at the heart of downtown [...]

Column by Audrey Brown Not that I want to hone in on Andy Rooney’s territory, but there was once a time when getting to an Orlando tourist attraction was half the fun. At risk of having to start a sentence with the phrase, “You know, in my day…” I do want to say that in [...]

Column by Andy Guinigundo Labor Day marks the official end to many parks’ summer seasons. Conneaut Lake Park in Western Pennsylvania has seen more than 100 such seasons come and go. Conneaut Lake, Pa. sits almost 100 miles north of Pittsburgh. Opened in 1892 as Exposition Park, it served mostly as a picnic and gathering [...]

Is this the new version of the Hogwarts Express? AirTran Airways, and Universal Orlando have teamed up to allow passengers a ride on a one-of-a-kind “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” themed aircraft. The Boeing 717 features an illustration depicting a wizarding hand, complete with wand, stretching from the back of the plane to the front. [...]

If you’re a certified Disney nut who knows all there is to know about Disney vacations – or know how to find out – you’re wanted. Disney Parks has officially opened its search for new Disney dads, Mickey moms and Goofy grandparents to join the 2011 Walt Disney World Moms Panel. Heading into its fourth [...]

The first-ever D23 Expo in 2009 left Disney fans asking when there would be another. Now’s the time to start planning. Tickets and special packages are on sale now for a three-day event that will bring the entire world of Disney under one roof at the Anaheim Convention Center in California next Aug. 19 to [...]

Column by Andy Guinigundo As Pixar favorites have continued to grow in popularity, they have been taking up an increasing amount of real estate in the Disney Parks. Toy Story Midway Mania has been in place in Florida and California for a few years now. Pizza Planet has been dishing out the slices of pie [...]

The biggest Star Wars fan event of all time is coming to Orlando. Star Wars Celebration V will be held at the Orange County Convention Center from Aug. 12 to 15, 2010. This year’s event will commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, and the ongoing, weekly adventures [...]

For the past several years, Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have been very popular. This past weekend in seemingly a galaxy far, far away, California, Star Wars Days commenced, but not at Disneyland. Legoland California hosted its 5th annual Star Wars Days.

By Audrey Brown This month’s Retro Orlando is a bit more broad than usual. I typically try to take a look back at rides I can remember with perfect clarity, detail for detail. But I stumbled across some old vacation pictures that got me thinking about Busch Gardens. I tried and tried to come up [...]

So what’s the secret to good health into one’s 8th decade of life and beyond? Is it eating right? Staying off the booze and cigarettes? Exercise? Apparently for one 88-year-old, the answer is frequenting an amusement park and hopping on her favorite coaster. In this case the park is Kings Island near Cincinnati, Ohio and the favorite coaster, The Diamondback.

Weeki Wachee Springs is a classic roadside Florida attraction famous for its mermaids, who perform synchronized ballet moves 20 feet underwater while breathing through special air hoses hidden in the scenery.

You’re excited to plan your next Orlando family vacation, but there’s no coinage in the little porcelain piggy. What’s the best way to save money on your family’s next getaway? How about going for free? Yes, that’s right, it’s possible to go to Orlando for free.

The huge world premier for Disney California Adventure’s World of Color has come and gone. World of Color is Disney’s newest nighttime show. The show celebrates the beautiful colors seen in Disney movies, but it is really a multi-sensory experience.

Guests with visual disabilities are now able to explore Disney theme parks in a whole new way through an enhanced Disney-designed device that provides detailed audio description of outdoor areas and attractions. “Disney Parks have long been at the forefront of providing accessibility for guests with disabilities,” said Greg Hale, chief safety officer and vice [...]